Effect of distance information and number of warning signs on driving safety of young adults near road work zones in China

The continuous growth of automobile ownership and road mileage in China has brought a lot of road maintenance work. The work zone shall be set for road maintenance work. Due to the road characteristics near the work zone, more accidents and a higher accident risk exist. Traffic signs are one of the essential means to ensure traffic safety. The location and number of road work signs (sign level) play a crucial role in driver safety near the work zone. The repeated road work signs can form a warning system to regulate driver behavior. This paper evaluates the effect of the number of warning signs with and without distance information on driver behavior (psychological load and physiological characteristics) near the work zone. The matter-element extension model is used for comprehensive evaluation. The study resulted in several findings. First, adding distance information improves the difficulty and time of visual recognition and enhances driver alertness. On the other hand, too many road signs are not conducive to maintaining driver alertness. Second, distance information on the work signs and the repeated setting of road warning signs add extra burden on the driver and increase driver fatigue. Third, driver's response to the repeated road work signs will gradually become stable; The speed transition under the warning signs Levels 2 and 3 are more stable than that under the warning sign Levels 1 and 4. Finally, the warning sign level shall not be more than 3. If the advanced warning area is short, it is recommended to select a warning sign Level 1. If the advanced warning area is relatively long, it is recommended to choose a warning sign Level 2. Finally, adding distance information will improve the overall effect of the warning scheme. These findings can provide a valuable reference for setting the road work signs near the work zone in practice in China.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2023.107230
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457523002774
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Yang, Yanqun
  • 0000-0003-1474-4409
  • Liu, Xianhui
  • 0000-0001-5099-2771
  • Easa, Said M
  • 0000-0003-0754-138X
  • Feng, Yang
  • 0000-0002-5616-6056
  • Zheng, Xinyi
  • 0000-0002-1292-7597
• Publication Date: 2023-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 107230
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 192
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver performance; Traffic safety; Warning signs; Work zone safety; Young adults
• Geographic Terms: China
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01890870
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 24 2023 9:30AM